Canada's Kara Chad riding Viva won the ATCO Founders Classic on day two at the Spruce Meadows Masters on Thursday September 6, 2018. Gavin Young/PostmediaGavin Young / Postmedia

The worlds await.

And it seems Calgary’s Kara Chad is riding head-long into them — those being the World Equestrian Games next week in North Carolina — with sky-high confidence.

A win Thursday in the 1.50-metre ATCO Founders Classic of the Spruce Meadows Masters will help do that for you.

So, too, will representing Canada in the BMO Nations’ Cup on Saturday at the world-class show-jumping facility here in Calgary.

“It gets the confidence quite high,” said Chad, just 22 and seemingly on top of her game if not the world these days. “Definitely this all helps doing this well this weekend going into my first world championship.

“That’s exactly what I want going into WEG.”

With the worlds calling on her, the aim in the Masters was to rev up the engine and find successes wherever she could during the high-profile five-day tournament.

Aboard Viva, a nine-year-old mare, she did just that in the ATCO Founders Classic.

The tandem rode double-clear in Round 1 and the jump-off, finishing the extra session fastest among seven jump-off rider/horse combinations. Their 37.87-second ride was a quarter-second quicker than Daniel Coyle, aboard Varona, and nearly two seconds faster than third-place finisher Marcus Ehning, of Germany, and his mount, Firth of Lorne.

“Viva’s a very sweet mare — she’s such a fighter in the ring,” Chad said. “You’d describe her as quite ‘hot’ and quite quick along the ground. She’s one of those that’s quite electric — once you give her the signal to go, she’s off like a rocket. She’s definitely more of a speed horse.

“We put her in this class (Thursday) — probably one of the biggest classes she’s done. And she obviously performed incredibly. We’re over the moon with her.

“Every time we ask something of her, she rises to the occasion, so we’re obviously super-happy with her.”

Chad knows she’s had some help — world-class calibre stuff — from a well-known name in Canadian show-jumping: Eric Lamaze.

“He’s my coach and my boss, and he’s a huge inspiration to me,” said Chad of Lamaze, the owner of Viva. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be working for him for two years now, and he’s given me huge opportunities and allowed me to ride his horses and everything and gotten me into some incredibly big shows.

“Even if I’m in over my head at the beginning, the fact you gain experience and learn against the best right away, I think that’s his whole mentality. Sure, you may have some really rough rounds and you may hit a wall a little bit, but once you get over that and fight through that, it makes you such a better rider so quickly.”

Chad’s good enough now that she’ll team up with her mentor for Saturday’s BMO Nations’ Cup, one of the highlight events of the Masters. Chad, Lamaze, Okotoks’ Lisa Carlsen and ‘Captain Canada’ Ian Millar make up Canada’s entry in the marquee challenge.

“I’m honoured to ride alongside Eric at any point in time. I’ve been on a couple of teams with him, and he’s such a team leader and amazing to have on your team. You can always rely on him.

“To have him doing it right there with me this weekend is a total honour.”

Then it’s off to the WEG, again alongside Lamaze. They’ll be joined by Erynn Ballard and Mario Deslauriers under the Canadian banner for the world championships.

And it seems Chad, for one, will be heading in with plenty of poise.

Not bad for a 22-year-old.

“In this sport, for sure, everybody loses more than they win,” said Chad, sounding like a wily veteran of show-jumping. “I’ve definitely had more rough rounds or losing ones than victorious ones.

“But when you have wins like (Thursday), it’s what makes you fight harder during these tough times, and definitely, it makes it all worth it.”

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